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September 24, 2009

Golf Digest names Williamsburg Inn one of the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America

Golf Digest has named the Williamsburg Inn to its list of the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America, the magazine announced in its October issue and on www.golfdigest.com. The Inn, which overlooks the Golden Horseshoe Gold Course, ranks 22 on the 2009 – 2010 list. The last time the list was compiled was in 2006, when Colonial Williamsburg’s golf resort ranked 35.

To determine the rankings, hundreds of U.S., Canadian, Mexican and Caribbean golf courses were rated by a panel of more than 900 men and women golfers, including club professionals, course superintendents and low-handicap amateurs. All panelists travel and play at their own expense. All resorts on the list deliver a combination of golf, lodging, food and service.

“We are pleased that Golf Digest has again recognized the Williamsburg Inn and the Golden Horseshoe as one of North America’s best golf resorts,” said John Hallowell, Colonial Williamsburg’s president of Hospitality. “The recognition is a tribute to the professionalism of our entire staff in maintaining the highest standards of guest service and stewardship of our historic property, and the serene natural beauty of our golf courses.”

The Williamsburg Inn is the landmark property conceived and built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. The Inn opened in April 1937 and remains today the crown jewel of Colonial Williamsburg’s Resort Collection. Guided by the Inn’s rich history and strong sense of place, and led by an accomplished team of architects, craftsmen and artisans faithful to Mr. Rockefeller’s original vision, the Inn’s meticulous renovation in 2001 brought refreshed vibrancy and elegance to the comfortable Virginia country estate for discriminating guests.

Designed by famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr., the Gold Course was built in 1963 on the site of the 18th-century John Saunders house and plantation, depicted on the Frenchman’s Map of 1781, one of the most important historical documents used in Williamsburg’s restoration. Jones called it “…a natural arboretum upon which a great golf course has been built.” His son, the equally renowned Rees Jones, added a new dimension to the course with his 1998 renovation, which made it more playable for medium and high handicappers. Rees Jones also designed the Golden Horseshoe Green Course, opened in 1991.

Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as the nation’s largest living history museum. Colonial Williamsburg’s Resort Collection offers more than 1,000 guest rooms among five hotels, including the landmark Williamsburg Inn, four historic dining taverns and six restaurants, a new 20,000-square-foot spa, the Golden Horseshoe golf courses and 66,000 square feet of conference space centered at the restored Williamsburg Lodge.

Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Web site at www.colonialwilliamsburgresort.com. Purchase of Colonial Williamsburg products and services supports the Foundation’s preservation, research, and educational programs.